Enjoying The Outdoors

Category: Philanthropy

Wes Edens, co-chairman and founder of Fortress Investment Group, graduated from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon in 1984. He went on to work with California Savings & Loan and worked for short amounts of time at both Merril Lynch and Smith Barney before joining Lehman Brothers in 1987. He was a managing director and partner at Lehman Brothers from 1987 – 1993. He went on to become a managing director and partner at BlackRock Financial Management, Inc where he headed BlackRock Asset Investors, a private equity fund. View Wes Edens’s profile on Linkedin

Wes Edens co-founded Fortress Investment Group in 1998 and has been a member of the management committee since then. He has been a board member since November of 2006 and has been co-chairman of the board since 2009. He is responsible for Fortress’s private equity and publicly traded alternative investment businesses.

Beyond investing, Wes Edens is an avid sports fan and is co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, an NBA franchise, based out of Milwaukee, WI. He has co-owned the team long with Marc Lasry since 2014. The team is now worth nearly double what they put in as their original purchase investment. He also, along with Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris, recently purchased the majority share in the English soccer club, Aston Villa.

In 2017 Wes Edens announced that he, along with Fortress Investment Groups, was forming a new eSports franchise called Flyquest. A team was put together to compete in North America’s League of Legends Championmore: ship. Mr. Edens, along with the entire Flyquest franchise, expect to lead the gaming industry, institute pioneering gaming practices, and help eSports grow in popularity around the world.

Wes Edens, financier, and sports enthusiast, is also a philanthropist with a history of giving to the educational, health, and art communities. He has given over 2.7 million to various institutions in his lifetime.

For a variety of different reasons, there has been a renewed focus on the importance of quality mental health treatment throughout America. Roseann Bennett, a licensed therapist from New Jersey, saw firsthand how important mental health treatment was during her decade of work as an inpatient and out-patient therapist for families and marriages. Overwhelming the importance of her work was the fact that Roseann Bennett realized how difficult it was for patients in need to actually schedule the services that would assist them. As an outpatient therapist, Bennett realized that some of her potential clients were being forced to wait up to nine months at a time! As a result, Bennett realized that she could make a huge impact on the world if she simply started up her own practice, and that is what she did.

Roseann Bennett created the Center for Assessment and Treatment as a non-profit facility focused on providing mental health treatment to those in need, even if they could not afford to pay for the services. Bennett started up the company with little more than extra furniture from her home and a small office space. Equipped with a passion for the job, Bennett would end up working upwards of 11 hours per day, 6 days a week simply to see everyone who needed to be seen. Though this was obviously a tough schedule to stick to, the work ended up paying off for Bennett. After months of hard work, the Center for Assessment and Treatment has become an iconic establishment in New Jersey.

As an experienced therapist, Bennett knows that she needs to bring her best to work every time that she clocks in. For that reason, Bennett hasn’t slowed down in her efforts to champion new ways of treatment. Most recently, Bennett has begun to incorporate therapy dogs in her sessions in order to help children who are struggling to adapt to the therapy environment. Go Here for more information.

Stream Energy, the 14 year old Dallas, Texas based company known for its innovative recruitment of wireless, electricity, gas, home and protective services customers through direct selling, has created a philanthropic arm called Stream Cares. Since its founding in 2004, the company has consistently provided support for people and communities in need. This was particularly true in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The company was deeply involved in a wide variety of efforts designed to help rebuild the community and provide food, clothing and shelter for the families displaced by the storm.

A post shared by Stream (@mystreamsocial) on Jul 5, 2018 at 12:17pm PDT

The creation of the Stream Cares Foundation will help the company to better be able to help individuals and communities in need. Currently, Stream Energy has long-term relationships with the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross and several other social service organizations. The company has also been making a significant impact in helping the homeless population in Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas through their work with Hope Supply Company. For four years, Stream has been helping Hope Supply Company provide the homeless with school supplies, clothing, diapers and more.

Stream Energy has also worked in concert with Hope Supply Company at their Splash for Hope events to provide free admittance for over 1,000 homeless children to local water parks so they can have some fun. In addition to the work they do in communities throughout Texas, Steam Energy also provides support financially and otherwise to grassroots organizations and charities all across the country. A recent write-up on Patch explains that the company sees its role as more than a provider of affordably priced energy. They are also committed to making life better for people in the communities they serve by giving back.

When many people hear the name Stream Energy, innovative methods of direct-sales of high quality energy products is what comes to mind. With the creation of Stream Cares, more people will also begin to see the company as the caring entity it has long been. A company which places a high value on ensuring all its neighbors can enjoy a good quality of life.

Betsy Devos is the 2017 U.S. Education Secretary, a renowned position among the most notable politicians of the nation. The philanthropist dedicated a lot of hard work towards achieving this post in the white house, and it wasn’t an easy fight. Betsy Devos’ struggles for a better education system have more than fifteen years of fighting against the politicians who want to further the era of paid quality teaching and ignore those who cannot afford such type of school.

Betsy is a pro-reform, which means that she vividly wants the school system to go through a major revamping and analysis of how kids can have access to quality schools without hindering the ability of their parents to raise their children properly. This, according to the philanthropist herself, is all over the place. Visit Betsy’s profile page on Facebook.

When Betsy DeVos and her husband, Richard “Dick” DeVos, were students, they studied at Potter’s Cristian School, and the reality that she described was all over the place. Many parents of their student friends could not properly afford the education of that school without even hindering their ability to provide for three meals per day. Education of name and quality in the United States has a high price in the wallet of American communities of lower income, and Betsy believes that a change would be better for everyone involved. A country where every citizen has access to decent education equality is a nation where everyone develops their careers as well, improving the future of America.

Not everything is as easy as it sounds though, as the pro-reformer had to go through dozens of committees and had to make many speeches to put the issue in the spotlight of American decision-makers. With her intense dedication in raising awareness of the education problem, she managed to successfully cause some changes to happen in many states of the U.S. Betsy DeVos said that there are more than 25,000 students who are now able to study through public funding in the District of Columbia. This is a huge step towards a better education for everyone.

There are many areas in the American territory where changes for the best are being noticed, including changes being made in the educational system of Florida, Arizona, and Ohio. Without a doubt, the intense work that the Betsy and her husband, who is also a highly influential and philanthropical figure in America, has changed the path that education was taking. Now, the couple is more than optimistic about the future of American students and their opportunity to follow their dream careers.

The education renovation project that Betsy DeVos has intensely fought to make happen is called the educational choice movement, and it has already conquered the approval of many prominent figures in the U.S. and is becoming a real phenomenon for the children of the future.

Donald Trump was not expected to pull off the shocking victory that he did in November, but he managed to do so despite so many polls putting the odds against him. For most on the Left this surprise, and the things it will bring with it, are not welcome. Hedge fund manager George Soros has said many times before that he does not approve of the way that Donald Trump plans to govern and wants to do just about everything he can to oppose him. The Right has made a number of victories through the election of last year and now holds the majority of seats in Congress and controls most state governments. Something must be done soon about this and Soros plans to be the one.

The Response To This Shock

The most interesting thing about the way that George Soros has responded to this recent victory is his insistence on doing everything it takes in order to keep Donald Trump from reaching his agenda. There aren’t many things that Democrats can do directly to fight against Donald Trump or his plans for the immediate future. The best things to do now are prepare for future elections and invest in finding any way to prevent Trump from enacting his plans once he reaches office.

Helping Progressives Move Forward

Progressive movements are obviously in danger and nobody wants to help them out more than George Soros. Soros has long stated that he believes the Left needs to do everything it can to make sure that working class Americans feel that they are able to enjoy the fruits of globalization. The contempt that many working class Americans feel for globalization, a major factor in the victory of Donald Trump, has led to efforts to fight against Globalization. The best thing the Left can do is share wealth and establish a new way of thinking about free trade. Read more at The New York Times about George.

Possible Dangers Ahead In Europe

The success of Donald Trump might spell trouble in Europe as well. European conservatives are embracing similar stances on immigration and on free trade. If they manage to obtain power as well the consequences could spell trouble for the world as authoritarianism makes a comeback and the Western world experiences decline.

George Soros is a progressive minded philanthropist who has made headlines for his efforts to promote greater acceptance between nations and of free trade. He maintains that this is the best way for countries around the world to make the best lives for their citizens and that globalization will ultimately provide for the greater good of us all.

Anthony Petrello is a prominent leader in the oil drilling sector. He is the CEO, president and chairman of Nabors Industries Ltd. Nabors Industries offers oil drilling equipment to oil corporations on a contract basis and is a giant in proprietary technology and automated software solutions. The company is located in Hamilton, Bermuda with its head office in Houston, TX. Additionally, the company is operational in several other countries including Middle East, Far East, USA, and Africa.

Tony Petrello has a comprehensive education background with a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Mathematics from Yale University. Also, he had a J.D Degree from the Harvard Law School. Mr. Petrello started his profession in 1979 at Baker & McKenzie Law Firm where he was promoted to Managing Partner in 1986 and stayed there until 1991. It is in 1991 that he joined Nabors Industries as its Chief Operating Officer. He was later named its President in 1992 and the Vice Chairman of the corporation in 2003. He became the CEO of Nabors Industries in 2011 and its chairman of the Board in 2012.

In 2013, Petrello was ranked the top paid CEOs with a salary amounting to $68 million. However, in 2014, he was not named in the highest paid bosses due to his company’s restructuring its compensation packages. The modifications were made to divert some cash back to the shareholders. As the leader of Nabors Industries, Antony earns a total compensation of $27,512,939 with $16,863,656 coming from stock, $1, 580,077 being his salary, $7,727,000 awarded as a bonus, and $1,342,206 emerging from other forms of compensation.

For the first time, Dick DeVos is talking about the philanthropy he and his family are doing. After years of asking, Dick DeVos finally gave Forbes magazine the figures they had been trying to get for years. The amount of money the DeVos family has donated to charity places the family 20th on Forbes annual list of the top 50 givers. The family gave $94 million in 2014 alone and a total of almost $1.2 billion in lifetime giving. The family decided to release these figures to Forbes in the hope it would encourage others to be as generous in their giving. A family spokesman stated the Forbes list starts important conversations about giving and how to support others in the community.

The Devos family are well known for their support of conservative issues, and political candidates and the Forbes numbers do not include these figures. The Forbes list accounts only for money that has reached its recipients, how the family distributes their contributions was further examined by MLive and The Grand Rapids Press using 2013 IRS records.

The breakdown shows the DeVoses are big supporters of education, 48 percent of the money donated dedicated to education. Health and community services garnered 27 percent, churches and faith-based organizations received 13 percent, and 12 percent went to arts and culture. The Devos family believe in supporting the local community first. Therefore, 66 percent of their donations stayed in the Grand Rapids area. Donations to conservative think tanks such as The Heritage Foundation are made through the health and community services listings. For a year to year comparison, a family spokesman gave the 2014 numbers to The Press, and they were much the same. Education 45 percent, health and community services 35 percent, arts and culture 15 percent, and 5 percent going to churches and faith-based organizations.

Dick DeVos started his career with Amway Corporation in 1974. He is the oldest son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos, Sr. Amway is well-known network sales company that distributes health and household items through a network of dealers who in turn recruit other dealers making it possible for an individual to move up the chain and eventually create a distributorship of their own. During his years at Amway Dick held positions with varying levels of responsibility, being promoted to vice-president of the company’s operations in 18 countries in 1984. In 1989 Dick left Amway and started a new business, The Windquest Group, a company that invested in several different kinds of manufacturing. In 1991 he was made the manager of the Orlando Magic Basketball franchise, while still staying active in the Windquest Group.

Dick DeVos’s interest in politics prompted him to ran for governor in the state of Michigan in 2006, an election he eventually lost to Democrat Jennifer Granholm. Dick and his wife Betsy have four children and reside in Michigan.